Category: Space

BWW Photo Flash: Houston Gets Early Screening of Hidden Figures This Christmas

HIDDEN FIGURES screens in select cities and theaters this Christmas, including Houston’s Edwards Greenway Grand Palace Stadium 24 & RPX. See the trailer and the photos from the film below! HIDDEN FIGURES uncovers the incredible, untold story of a Katherine G. Johnson , Dorothy Vaughan , and Mary Jackson — three brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world.

NASA, Fayettevillle State U team on advanced materials research

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Langley Research Center and Fayetteville State University will collaborate on advanced materials research relevant to Earth and Space science under a Space Act Agreement. They will research materials processing, characterization and application, failure analysis, and associated technologies.

Five Star Trek technologies that may become a reality sooner than you think

Star Trek has long offered a utopian vision of a future where technology has allowed humankind to move beyond the conflicts of its past. When it first aired in September 1966, the sci-fi classic depicted a universe where people of all races, colours and creeds took to the stars to seek out new life and new civilizations and to boldly go where no man – or woman – had gone before.

Movie review: ‘Hidden Figures:’ Inspiring true story perfect for the family

Parents need to know that “Hidden Figures” is based on the inspiring true story of three brilliant African-American women who worked at NASA in the 1950s and ’60s as “human computers” – making calculations and contributions that helped launch the manned spaceflight program. Dorothy Vaughn , Mary Jackson , and Katherine Johnson were engineers and computers at NASA at a time when both women and African Americans were still widely discriminated against, particularly in segregationist Virginia, where NASA’s Langley Research Center is based.

Movie review: ‘Hidden Figures:’ Inspiring true story perfect for the family

Parents need to know that “Hidden Figures” is based on the inspiring true story of three brilliant African-American women who worked at NASA in the 1950s and ’60s as “human computers” – making calculations and contributions that helped launch the manned spaceflight program. Dorothy Vaughn , Mary Jackson , and Katherine Johnson were engineers and computers at NASA at a time when both women and African Americans were still widely discriminated against, particularly in segregationist Virginia, where NASA’s Langley Research Center is based.

How Do We Colonize Saturn’s Moons?

Welcome back to our series on Colonizing the Solar System! Today, we take a look at the largest of Saturn’s Moons – Titan, Rhea, Iapetus, Dione, Tethys, Enceladus, and Mimas. From the 17th century onward, astronomers made some profound discoveries around the planet Saturn, which they believed was the most distant planet of the Solar System at the time.

Global Nano and Microsatellite Market to Grow at a CAGR of 22.95% During Forecast Period 2016-2020

Nano and microsatellites are earth-orbiting devices that have lower mass and lesser physical dimensions as compared to a conventional satellite, such as a geostationary satellite. Owing to technological advancements, as well as advances in space research, these satellites have emerged as an important tool for applications such as wireless communications networks, data gathering, scientific observations, and global positioning systems .

Wind Tunnel Testing Underway For Next, More Powerful Version Of NASA’s Space Launch System

As engines are fired, software written and hardware welded to prepare for the first flight of NASA’s Space Launch System , engineers are already running tests in supersonic wind tunnels to develop the next, more powerful version of the world’s most advanced launch vehicle capable of carrying humans to deep space destinations. “Aeronautics leads the way in the design of a new rocket,” said Jeff Bland, SLS discipline lead engineer for Integrated Vehicle Structures & Environments at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

China Claims Tests of ‘Reactionless’ EM Drive Were Successful

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Popular Science: The “reactionless” Electromagnetic Drive, or EmDrive for short, is an engine propelled solely by electromagnetic radiation confined in a microwave cavity. Such an engine would violate the law of conservation of momentum by generating mechanical action without exchanging matter.

China launches carbon dioxide monitoring satellite

China on Thursday launched a satellite to monitor carbon dioxide levels, state media said, making the Asian giant the third country to track the potent contributor to global warming from space. The TanSat probe will allow China to keep a close eye on greenhouse gas emissions and give it a “louder voice” in future negotiations on carbon reduction, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

‘Passengers’ and the real-life science of deep space travel

From “Aliens” to “Interstellar,” Hollywood has long used suspended animation to overcome the difficulties of deep space travel, but the once-fanciful sci-fi staple is becoming scientific fact. The theory is that a hibernating crew could stay alive over vast cosmic distances, requiring little food, hydration or living space, potentially slashing the costs of interstellar missions and eradicating the boredom of space travel.

Column: John Glenn inspired generations of astronauts

TWO YEARS before we were born and three decades before we each had the chance to leave our planet in a spaceship, our parents and 100 million other people heard the news: A 40-year-old Marine Corps lieutenant colonel named John Glenn had become the first American to orbit Earth. To this day, Glenn’s journey remains as awe-inspiring as it was audacious.

NASA’s far-flung space robots keep findings signs of water

Robotic explorers have found signs of long-lost water on Mars and extensive ice still present on the dwarf planet Ceres – evidence that water truly is almost everywhere we look. The results were announced last week at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union – the world’s largest gathering of Earth and space scientists.

So you want to build a Death Star? Here’s how to get started

I’m very excited about seeing ” Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ,” which tells the tale summarized in the original Star Wars’ opening crawl. This is the story of how the rebels stole the plans to the original “Death Star” – a space station the size of a small moon with a weapon powerful enough to destroy a planet.

NASA plans to search for ‘Star Wars’ planets

Some of the planets discovered around stars in our own galaxy may be very similar to the ‘Star Wars’ exoplanets like arid Tatooine, watery Scarif and even frozen Hoth, according to NASA scientists. Sifting through data on the more than 3,400 confirmed alien worlds, scientists applied sophisticated computer modelling techniques to tease out the colours, light, sunrise and sunsets we might encounter if we could pay them a visit.

Mourners remember life, career of US astronaut John Glenn

Mourners marked a final day of remembrances for groundbreaking astronaut John Glenn on Saturday , as the body of the first American to orbit Earth set out for a memorial service expected to be packed to capacity. The casket of John Glenn is carried out of the Ohio Statehouse by Marines during his funeral procession on Dec 17, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio.

Looking back at John Glenn’s U.S. stamp legacy

The 4A Project Mercury commemorative honored John Glenn’s successful space flight when it was issued Feb. 20, 1962, the same day that Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth. The 1988 15A Settling of Ohio postal card was issued during John Glenn’s service as the state’s U.S. senator.